Dorner studied Irvine pair

Irvine police detectives believe fired police Officer Christopher Dorner gathered intelligence on his first two victims before he shot them on the rooftop of an Irvine parking structure, documents reviewed by the Register show.

The slayings of Monica Quan and Keith Lawrence opened what police say was a murderous campaign carried out by Dorner in retribution for his firing several years ago from the Los Angeles Police Department.

The two former basketball standouts, newly engaged, were shot so many times with a 9 mm pistol that investigators concluded the killer had used a high-capacity magazine, the court documents show. Orange County prosecutors were poised to file murder charges against Dorner and indicated that they would have sought the death penalty.

Instead, Dorner died earlier this week in a mountain cabin where he had barricaded himself for a last stand with law enforcement officers. The cabin burned after a volley of incendiary tear-gas canisters; the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department confirmed Thursday that charred remains found in the basement were those of Dorner.

“It is believed that Dorner conducted background on his intended targets … and may be in possession of … documents containing personal and professional information for Keith Lawrence, and the entire Quan family,” Irvine Detective Jonathan Sampson wrote in an affidavit in support of a search warrant.

The couple were found shot to death in a car Feb. 3. The court documents reveal that Orange County authorities pinpointed Dorner as a suspect in the killing of Quan and Lawrence as early as Feb. 5. The next day, detectives requested permission to search Dorner's house immediately. By then, they were aware of an online statement titled “Last Resort,” attributed to Dorner, that promised war against those he blamed for his dismissal from the LAPD.

Quan's father, a retired LAPD captain, represented Dorner during the disciplinary hearing that ended his career.

Dorner had several weapons registered to him, including five 9 mm pistols, Sampson wrote.

Detectives wanted authority to search for computers, cellphones, thumb drives or cameras at the La Palma home that Dorner shared with his mother and sister. They also wanted to search Dorner's 2005 Nissan pickup.

“Due to the potential for violence associated with the suspect in this case, I request that night service be granted … as the suspect would likely continue to pose a continuing threat to the public if not apprehended as soon as possible,” Sampson warned.

An Orange County judge signed off on the search warrant on the evening of Feb. 6, the same night Irvine police went public with their identification of Dorner as the suspect.

Investigators carried out the search two days later, although police said Dorner's mother had let them in earlier for a voluntary search.

Detectives also obtained warrants to search for Dorner's online records and bank accounts. They also got a warrant to obtain a DNA sample, which they wanted to compare to DNA found on shell casings and a beanie found near the car where Quan and Lawrence were killed.

Hours after police named Dorner as a suspect in those killings, a man matching his description gunned down Riverside police Officer Michael Crain.

Later that day, authorities found Dorner's burned-out pickup near Big Bear Lake, touching off a manhunt that stretched across Southern California and into Mexico.

Dorner appears to have taken refuge in a vacant vacation home near Bear Mountain ski area, holed up with a million-dollar reward on his head and a partial view of a police command post. He fled Tuesday after the home's owners walked in on him, stealing first their car and then another before crashing and barricading himself inside a cabin.

San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon compared the standoff that ensued to a war zone. One of his deputies, detective Jeremiah MacKay, was hit and killed, the fourth and final fatality attributed to Dorner.

Officers lobbed canisters of tear gas into the cabin, first “cold” canisters, then pyrotechnic canisters that police refer to as “burners,” McMahon said. The cabin caught fire, and police reported hearing a single gunshot from inside. “We did not intend to burn down that cabin to get Dorner out,” McMahon said.

Officials made the identification of Dorner's body through dental records but said the cause and manner of his death had not been determined.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office said Thursday that it had prepared two murder charges against Dorner. The charges accused Dorner of lying in wait and then shooting Quan and Lawrence in their car in the parking garage of their Irvine condominium complex.

The Riverside County District Attorney's Office filed a murder charge against Dorner earlier this week in the shooting death of Crain.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.